Same middle ground Manning likely was comfortable with in 2012 when Houston was a desired location of his; he knows Kubiak's system - he watched it twice a year for five years (not to mention however many times when Kubes was in Denver). If Manning is regeressing (and not just hurt), he's smart enough to recognize the viability of a coach who makes it easier for a QB to succeed. I'm guessing 75% Manning is still better than Schaub or Flacco and they flourished in this offense.
The NFL is far more about who you're working with... and in this case, Elway/Kubiak (with possible Shannahan's being involved) all have a very comfortable working relationship. And remember, Kubiak's arrival to the Texans was centered around the recruiting/reccomendation from Dan Reeves (Mcnair's consultant), who also had an established relationship with Gary. If Elway worked elsewhere, I would think Kubiak would strongly consider going there vs. simply going "home" to Denver. Additionally, Gary's been pretty loyal to his brain-trust (Dennison, Pariani) and vice versa... to the point that Dennison actually convinced Harbaugh to recruit Gary as the OC when it was him that was first targeted... another relationship example. The Bears just hired Ryan Pace who's been with the Saints for 14 years... chances are he's had zero contact or ties with Kubiak (and ironically, John Fox is already rumored to be the front-runner for that job), and didn't Kubiak decline an interview there already?
Huh? Baltimore just had a huge improvement offensively in only one off-season... without their original starting RB, TE, and with a new WR who was thought to be over the hill. Also, Kubiak hasn't had a QB as experienced or that can do the things Manning can do since Elway... to say that he wouldn't adjust his system to accommodate that is pretty short-sighted. I understand you want Denver to fail/go away, but I'm actually intrigued that Elway pulled the trigger on a huge shakeup in order to jump-start their chances (I don't think Elway is looking to rebuild anything).
First of all, I said "usually", secondly talking about "all the things Manning can do" when you are talking about a 39 year old version of Manning might make that statement inaccurate. Also, you have to factor in the guys that Denver WILL lose in FA when you are looking at their team. I'll need to see what happens the rest of the off-season before I write them off completely, but the odds of the Broncos being a legit contender next year aren't good.
"usually".... based on two examples, a worse than expansion team in Houston and what he just did in Baltimore... hmm. As far as Manning is concerned, if he's somewhere in between the stellar MVP level he was the first 9 weeks of the season, and the awful/mediocre version he was the last 8 weeks of this season, he can still do things even at age 39. This presumes his quad injury can heal, no other nagging issues come up, and the neck is still sound. Don't they have a ton of cap space? (far more than the Texans). Why are you so quick to presume they're going to lose the free agents they want to keep? And if they do lose them, they should have ample cap space to get possible replacements.
They have tons of cap space because they have tons of FA's to sign....all of which are looking for pay raises. We'll see what happens, but I think last year's Broncos was the best it's going to get.
He's implemented it twice since 2006 - and that year, his starting running back was Wali Lundy. Baltimore tremednously improved offensively in a single offseason. They have $37MM in cap space before any restrcutring/roster reshaping. They can franchise Demaryius and still prioritize Franklin, Knighton and Moore. It's not a dire situation. (I think they'll let Julius Thomas walk; not a fit for Kubiak's system; regressed in 2014.)
I don't know about optimists... but chances are a 12-4 Denver team that got poor QB play for the last 8 weeks won't fall off a cliff if that QB comes back and is somewhere in the middle of the two last-season versions. I would think you would be rooting for a Kubiak-Manning mashup, as in your mind it could only further Denver's demise.
He already said the Bears job (which Kubiak already declined an interview)... which Fox will probably get.
I'm not worried about it one way or the other, I don't see the Texans as a SB contender next year and one way or the other, time always wins. Manning could have another pretty good season left in him, he might not. It really doesn't affect me in any way.
Good point - I was more looking at location than previous relationships. That makes more sense. If Manning isn't in Denver, and you're an offensive guy, I would think Chicago and Atlanta would both be very appealing. Like Nick said, he already declined considering Chicago (and closed the door on all the other previously open jobs), so it seems like Denver or nothing at this point.
He said that before the Broncos job opened up. I expect him to at least interview. Would be surprised if he turned down the opportunity. The guy loves Denver
IMO Rex Ryan took the best job off the market. A lot of talent minus QB (Kubiak can work on that), dominant defense, solid RBs, new owners willing to spend money. Would have been perfect for him. The Atlanta job is still available but there is too much dysfunction with that group and their defense needs more help than their offense does. SF and Den have too high expectations/pressure; too much stress for a coach with health concerns.
In no universe is Buffalo a better job than San Fran or Denver. Also, being a NFL head coach is stressful... Everywhere. Kubiak has been cleared to coach again since 1 week after the mini stroke.
off to Denver.... Gary Kubiak to be named Denver Broncos head coach Kubiak was John Elway's backup during his playing career with the Broncos. SB NationFootball Sports & Recreation Offensive coordinator http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/1/14/7545695/gary-kubiak-denver-broncos-head-coach John Elway
This all came together so quickly that I wonder how much of it was pre-meditaded? Right down to Gary rejecting every interview initially and Elway wasting no time getting rid of Fox following those rejections, regardless of what Manning's ultimate decision is going to be.
